Defensible space equals sensible space
Erin Taylor
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3:00 a.m. PT Mar 10, 2005
Over the past month, readers have probably heard a lot about the Fire Safe Council of Nevada County and its hopes to place a "Fire Prevention Wood Use Center" in Nevada County.
The Fire Safe Council of Nevada County was formed in 1998 to start a movement toward creating a fire safe Nevada County. The purpose of the Fire Safe Council is to reduce the risk of life and property loss from wildfire. The Fire Safe Council is funded by grants and contributions to pay for fuel reduction and public education projects. It aims to increase public awareness of the potential for fire loss and what people can do to reduce the probability of a devastating wildfire. This is achieved through a variety of educational literature, including:
Fire Wise is Fire Safe - Learn about defensible space and why it is important.
Fire Wise Plants - A planting guide created by U.C.C.E. Nevada County Master Gardener's Club member Lynn Lorenson.
A Homeowner's Guide to Fire Wise Landscaping in Nevada County. This brochure helps you decide what needs to be cleared on the property, dependent upon the ecosystem you live in.
Wild Fire Safety for Kids- A coloring book to introduce fire safety to preschool through second grade.
Team Up for Wild Fire Safety - An activity book to continue teaching children about fire safety, third through fifth grade.
As well, the Fire Safe Council provides free services to Nevada County residents to create or assist in the clearance of defensible space. These include:
Free Defensible Space Chipping Program - we can chip up accurately stacked materials you have cleared on your property from either 30 feet or closer from any roadway/driveway used for evacuation purposes and 100 feet or closer from any permanent structure on the property;
Senior Citizen/Physically Disabled Clearing Assistance Program - available to qualifying residents. Independent contractors complete one day of defensible space clean-up from immediately around the home and driveways on the property;
Fuel Break /Roadside Clearance - working together with neighborhoods to reduce fire fuels from along roadsides in rural neighborhoods. This includes the reduction of highly congested brush and ladder fuels, as well as the thinning of smaller diameter and less healthy trees.
Please contact the office at 470-9193 for more information about any of the programs listed above.
The Fire Safe Council operates with a staff of three and a board of directors consisting of 15 residents representing various parties and volunteers. The three busy staff members are:
Michelle Phillips, executive director;
Erin Taylor, administrative assistant/chipping program coordinator;
Natalie Russell, administrative assistant.
All three ladies are Nevada County natives who have a genuine concern in helping to create a fire safe county. They are responsible for all field work, applying and regularly searching for grant funding opportunities, office duties, writing of publications, participation in public events, etc. The Board meets the fourth Wednesday of the month. Call 470-9193 or visit www.firesafecouncilnevco.com for more details.
The Fire Safe Council is always looking for active volunteers to join the team. An array of fun activities await you.
So, where does the Fire Prevention Wood Use Center fit into the picture? Why does Nevada County need one? The wood use center will serve as a place for contractors to bring small diameter woody material such as brush, trees less than 10 inches in diameter and pine needles that have been removed from project sites.
Once delivered, materials will be sorted for processing into a value-added product. Small diameter trees will be processed into peeler poles, small lumber or firewood. Brush and limbs will be processed through a horizontal grinder, dyed and marketed as colored mulch. Materials will be processed by private businesses partnering with the fire safe council.
The wood use center will give clearing contractors a place to dispose of the biomass created by clearing land, which will increase due to the new defensible space requirements set forth in the Nevada County Fire Plan and Senate Bill 1369. Homeowner's can utilize the Wood Center by disposing of cleared vegetation through using the Fire Safe Council programs.
All funds generated from the wood use center will be placed back into fire prevention activities of the Fire Safe Council, thus providing a sustainable source of funding for the organization. Grant monies for projects are quickly dwindling and the wood use center would provide financial security for the Fire Safe Council and the community programs it offers.
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Erin Taylor is the Chipping Program coordinator as well as an administrative assistant for the Fire Safe Council. She has worked for the Fire Safe Council for 21Ú2 years.
